Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

String of daytime burglaries target Atherton homes

by Andrea Gemmet

A home on James Avenue in the Lindenwood neighborhood was burglarized on Thursday, Feb. 4, the latest in a string of bold daytime burglaries in Atherton over the past week.

The thieves appear to be targeting "older, understated' homes and looking for jewelry and silver, Atherton police said.

One of the residential burglaries was interrupted by the homeowner, who spotted a person running away from the house and jumping over the fence, said Chief Mike Guerra. The suspect had long dark hair, and was presumably female, he said. The homeowner did not see the suspect's face, he said.

The other four burglaries resulted in thefts, he said. There's no estimate yet on the value of the stolen items, he said.

The string of burglaries began on Jan. 28 and have occurred all over town, Chief Guerra said. On Feb. 1, there were two burglaries reported, one on Nora Way and the other on Maple Avenue. Burglaries were also reported on Linda Vista Avenue on Feb. 3, and on Linden Avenue on Jan. 28.

Police sent out an automated phone message to residents, encouraging them to be vigilant and report any suspicious people or activity to the police department at 688-6500.